The Evening Brief: Texas Headlines for Sept. 18, 2013

• Perry responds to criticism of gun tour (Baltimore Sun): "Speaking outside a steakhouse in Bethesda on Wednesday where he met with Maryland business owners, Texas Gov. Rick Perry dismissed criticism of his visit to a gun manufacturer days after a mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. 'There's always anti-gun individuals at any time. The fact is that I'm a pro-2nd Amendment guy, Texas is a pro-2nd Amendment state and Beretta has been a great manufacturer in Maryland,' Perry said. 'They feel not only under appreciated, they feel under attack.'"

• How Ted Cruz and Mike Lee just got more than they bargained for (The Washington Post): "The saying, 'Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true' was especially relevant on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced the House will advance a measure to keep the government running and defund Obamacare — just like Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and their conservative allies have been demanding. Cruz, one of the most vocal Obamacare opponents in Washington, cheered the news, telling National Review’s Robert Costa he 'salutes' Boehner."

• Defund? Repeal? No, Gov. Rick Perry wants to "fix" Obamacare (The Dallas Morning News): "Gov. Rick Perry has called Obamacare a 'monstrosity." He’s refused to help the federal government implement reforms, including creation of a statewide insurance marketplace. On the other hand, he’s lobbied the administration for roughly $100 million available to Texas under the law. Still, it might come as a surprise that rather than push to defund the law, he’d rather tweak and improve it. 'They ought to fix Obamacare,' he said today when asked how he would advise Congress, where conservatives — led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, among others – want to strip funding, using an end-of-the-month budget deadline as leverage, at the risk of triggering a federal government shutdown."

• Rick Perry To Campaign For Steve Lonegan In New Jersey (BuzzFeed): "Steve Lonegan has already been endorsed by two Republican big shots — Sen. Rand Paul and Gov. Chris Christie — and next month, the New Jersey senate candidate will get a boost from another national GOP name: Rick Perry. Perry, a former presidential hopeful who is wrapping up his last term as governor of Texas, will endorse Lonegan at an event in New Jersey on Oct. 1, the campaign confirmed Wednesday morning."

• Group Targets Perry's Business-Recruiting Trips: "As Gov. Rick Perry visits Maryland in his latest effort to recruit businesses to relocate to Texas, a Washington, D.C.-based group is taking aim at the governor’s trips and raising questions over how they are funded."

• As Austin's Lakes Dwindle, Gulf Coast Residents May Suffer: "As the Highland Lakes that supply Austin drop to near-historic lows, the Lower Colorado River Authority is considering cutting off flows to Matagorda Bay. But officials on the Gulf Coast say the move could devastate the economy."

• Bar Association: Death Penalty System Falls Short: "Despite recent improvements that aim to prevent wrongful convictions, an American Bar Association report released Wednesday says much work remains to ensure fairness in the application of the death penalty in Texas."

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